US President Donald Trump reiterated his demand that Walt Disney-owned ABC News fire late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel over his recent comments about US first lady Melania Trump.
“When is ABC Fake News Network going to fire the seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel who incompetently presides over one of the lowest rated shows on television?” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
“People are upset. It should be soon,” he added.
Trump vs. Kimmel
Both Trump and Melania demanded that ABC fire Kimmel over a monologue he gave before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington last week.
Read also | Melania lashes out at Kimmel over ‘widow’ joke and urges ABC to intervene
What Jimmy Kimmel Said
On last Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live , the late-night host sent off the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, joking that first lady Melania Trump was “glowing like a widow-to-be.”
Kimmel clarified Monday that the joke was misinterpreted and was not a “call for murder” but a comment on the age difference between Trump, who turns 80 in June, and his wife, who turned 56 this month.
FCC jumps to target ABC
However, Kimmel once again found himself on the wrong side of Trump, who called for his removal from the network. The US Federal Communications Commission also ordered a timely review of the broadcast licenses of local ABC stations.
The early review of broadcast licenses is seen as an extraordinary move against a network whose programming has often angered the president.
“Disney’s ABC is hereby ordered to file for license renewals for all of its licensed television stations within 30 days — in other words, by May 28, 2026,” the FCC’s order published Tuesday said.
The FCC review covers eight of the network’s channels and is related to an ongoing investigation into the network’s diversity initiatives.
Although the networks’ licenses cannot be renewed, the FCC cited the rules to enforce that it requires timely renewals to properly conduct investigations.
“This will allow the FCC to conduct ongoing investigations while allowing the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster fulfills its broader public interest obligations,” the FCC said.
What Disney said
In a statement, Disney said that “ABC and its stations have a long history of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and providing credible news, emergency information and public interest programming to their local communities.”
“We are confident that the record demonstrates our continued qualification as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment, and we are prepared to demonstrate this through the appropriate legal channels,” the broadcaster said.
Trump vs. Kimmel over the Charlie Kirk assassination
Last year, the Trump administration and the FCC forced ABC to suspend Kimmel’s show indefinitely after his remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC lifted the suspension within days, and Kimmel’s show was back on the air even after some of its local affiliates, owned by Sinclair and Nexstar, initially refused to air it.
Key things
- The FCC’s unprecedented early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses increases pressure on the network amid political backlash.
- Jimmy Kimmel’s comedic style continues to stir controversy and highlight the risks comedians face in political satire.
- Trump’s public demand for Kimmel’s firing reflects the ongoing conflict between the media and political figures in the current era.
